 |
|
Location: Blogs Soul Spa |
 |
| Posted by: Soul Spa |
Monday, April 16, 2007 |
By Karina Yandell
Can anyone out there relate? While preparing to speak to a MOPS group last week on the topic of “This Season of Our Lives,” I came across the following excerpt from some journaling I did when my own children were preschoolers:
I have a three-year old daughter and a nineteen-month old son, and I have finally reached the point where I can shower in the morning without keeping my children corralled in the bathroom with me. As I’m certain other mothers can understand, reaching this point has given me an incredible sense of freedom. No longer do I have to shower in a frenzied rush, wondering about whom is getting into what, why there is so much crying and yelling going on, or – even worse – why it is so quiet.
When I entered into motherhood, no one told me I would have to give up that wonderful, standing under the hot water, soothing part of my morning that I enjoy so much. I love my showers, and I know I am not the only one. I have caught my husband on several occasions just standing in the shower. No shampooing of hair is taking place, no scrubbing of the armpits. He has employed a “ten second” rule, or so he claims. Ten seconds is all he gets at the end of his shower to be lazy. (I suspect that he usually counts to ten and then starts over again).
For three years I have spent my time in the shower in a rush to get out and make sure the kids are okay. There has always been an infant in a bouncy seat, a baby in a playpen, or a toddler in the exersaucer right outside the shower door. No more! I have discovered that my daughter is old enough to stay out of trouble, and that if I put Barney on, my son will sit transfixed while my muscles savor that hot water. For the past several weeks, I have been enjoying my showers. This may seem like a small pleasure to some, but it is a milestone I am thrilled to have arrived at.
That is, until today. While standing in the shower, I heard from a distant corner of the house: “MOMMEEEE!” This scream from my daughter was the “forget about the soap in your hair, never mind the towel” scream that sent me running to the living room to discover what horrible thing could have possibly happened. My son met me at the door with a huge grin on his face, dimples and all. In his hand he was proudly holding the only tube of lipstick I own. How he managed to sneak this out of the top drawer in my bathroom, which he can’t reach, is a mystery. His sister is a prime suspect.
My son had made a valiant attempt to apply the lipstick to himself, and the sight of his red face, arms and legs was definitely a cute one. What were not so cute were the red stripes on my green and white striped sofa. “Look what Cole did, Mommy.”
Look what Cole did, indeed. Never mind the lipstick-striped couch. My false sense of shower security had just been washed down the drain.
Are you in the middle of this season of life, when little ones seem to take up your every waking moment? What a hectic, heartbreaking, hilarious time it can be – and what a wonderful season for us to more deeply learn the character of Christ. Bringing children into this world who must depend completely upon us for their nourishment, care, love and protection quickly teaches us so many things that He longs for us to know. Personally, I learned that to extend my hand and heart to another who needs to know His comfort matters far more than my own selfish desires. As I cried out to him on days when I felt alone and at my wit’s end, I also discovered that the biggest thing prayer changes is my own heart. And I learned that HE is the one parent who never ever tires of our “but whys?” He patiently hears and quietly whispers in those moments that we are still enough to listen. And eventually, we grow beyond wanting to know the “whys” to simply wanting to know Him.
We have a living God who knows every last thing about us, and whose great longing is for us to know Him right back. I’ve discovered that one very real way to know Him more is to love beyond that of my own ability. It may be a friend in need of an encouraging phone call when I simply don’t have the time for it. It can be a cranky waiter in need of a friendly smile when I’d rather scowl right back. And yes, it can be a two-year old tugging at my knee in need of a simple hug when I’m feeling way too frazzled to give it. As we grow more and more to forget about our own desires and to love with the strength He gives us, we discover what it really means to allow the “joy of the Lord to be our strength.” May this day and the situations it brings for each of us cause us to further forget about ourselves so that He might be remembered! |
|
| Permalink |
Trackback |
|
|